Eureka daily sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1871-1887, 1887-09-06
AN InREPREssIBLE CONFLICT.

AN IRREPREssIBLE CONFLICT.
There is an irrepressible conflict going
on in this State between the cattle and
sheep men. There is no likelihood that
the nation will be plunged into civil war
as a result Of this conflict, but some of
the underlying principles carry one back
to ante.bellum days.
It was Mr.. Seward who first announced
that an irrepressible conflict was pend.
ing between the North and the South,
and that this country could not endure
permanently, half slave and half free.
A little later Mr.. Lincoln, in the cele.
brated joint discussion between himself
and Stephen A. Douglas, at F~reeport,
Illinois, the two being opposing candi-
dates for United States Senator, EN-.
phasized the same doctrine. The mere
repetition Of the sentiment, perhaps
elaborated, resulted in greater benefit
to Mr.. Lincoln than to Mr.. Seward, the
author Of it, for at the next ensuing Re.
publican National Convention, the sec.
ond ever held by that party, the former
succeeded over the latter in securing the
Presidential nomination. What fol.
lowed is q part of the history of the
Government itself and Ia fresh within
the memory Of all. But the arguments
pro and con advanced in those stirring
political days are perhaps not SO we'll re.
membered. The great contention was
as to whether the Territories should be
slave or free. The South claimed that
slavery was recognized by the Constitu-
tion, and that the Territories being the
common property of all the States and
people Of the Union, the Southern man
had the same right to 60 there with his
slave as the Northern man had to move
In with his horse. This claim was
warmly resisted by the Northern or free
State man. He argued that no mar had
right to plant a nuisance by another;
that one neighbor could not settle down
by the side Of another and go into the
business of raising skunks, even though
he might own the land in fee on which
he proposed to prosecute the business.
The occupation Of the soil, the use to
which it was put by one neighbor to the
detriment of another, was the doctrine
directly involved. It was what took the
appellation in those times of the "Higher
Law Doctrine higher than the Con.
stitution itself, and NO lover of freedom
disputed it, believing it to be right, and
refusing to be bound by q mere written
form founded primarily in error. And
thus the agitation started and waged un.
til slavery was finally blotted out
thanks to the Eternal Jehovah and the
valor of the Union arms for it.
And here we are having the "Higher
Law Doctrine" over again between the
cattle and the sheep men. Let the cat.
tie man stand for the North and the sheep
man for the South in the comparison.
The cattle man maintains that the sheep
industry Is . nuisance, eating out the
substance of the country. and wholly
destructive of the cattle interest-quite
as obnoxious in all respects as the rails.
ing of skunks by n neighbor to the An.
noyance and detriment of another. The
sheep man replies, if he be native, that
he is entitled to as many privileges and
immunities as any other citizen; that he
buys land. pays taxes, and is in all re.
spects entitled to the equal protection of
the law. 1t is difficult to see how the
native or adopted citizen can be re.
stricted in the free enjoyment of any Of
the rights accorded to other citizens.
The alien sheep owner Is not 30 we'll
grounded or protected. There is . late
law of the United States which says
that alien stock.growers shall not tres.
pass with impunity or the public do.
main. The Government may say this to
aliens-may say, as it does by law, that
they shall not feed the grass, nor acquire
title to agricultural nor mineral lands,
but neither the General nor the State
Government can 20 quite so far with
those qualified to do these things, to
wit. citizens, whether native or adopted.
These reflections are suggested by the
action Of the people Of White Pine
county in petitioning the General Land
Office at Washington to interfere
against the unlawful appropriation Of
the public domain by sheep.raisers."
The gist Of the petition is repeated back
from Washington by telegraph and ap.
pears in our local columns Of to-day.
We don't know how many people par.
ticipated in the meeting in White Pine,
nor how serious their grievances may be.
49, 1888